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Luisa Tam

Plumbing woes mar Foster's architectural achievements
We have been told that while Norman Foster  is known for his great architectural achievements, he is infamous, particularly in Hong Kong, for  having defective toilets in some of his most famed buildings.
A reader has singled out two examples: HSBC's headquarters in Central and the Hong Kong International Airport  at Chek Lap Kok.
For HSBC, we hear it had a serious plumbing problem in the early days, and even after many refurbishments, the toilets remained in a condition that was described by some as 'much worse than the economy-class toilets of any airline'.
As for the airport, the facilities didn't last more than a year after the terminal was officially opened in 1998. 
Their conditions deteriorated to a point where the Airport Authority had no choice but to overhaul the system.
An old-timer recalls that although the faulty toilets did not really threaten the operation of the airport, they were so small they certainly threatened the bodily operations of some of the larger passengers.
Lai See thinks obviously Lord Foster did not make a habit of using public toilets in those days. Hopefully, he has accumulated some experience over the years.
Meanwhile, the Foster shark concept for the Kai Tak cruise terminal continues to draw a lot of attention.
An animal-loving reader says although he has not seen the actual design, in order to  reflect the  tastes of Hongkongers, he assumes the 'shark' will be finless.
Pilots' heroism goes viral
The CX780 miracle-landing story in which two Australian pilots were hailed as heroes has gone viral around the world.
Even though both engines on the Airbus A330-300, carrying hundreds of passengers on board, malfunctioned on its approach to Chek Lap Kok,  the pair managed to land it safely.
Only a few passengers suffered minor injuries, on exiting the plane.
Cathay Pacific chief executive Tony Tyler  yesterday sent an internal message to all CX staff honouring the pilots' outstanding performance.
We hear after they got back to the crew hotel last night, the two pilots and 11 cabin crew members went for a dinner together.
No prizes for guessing what the topic of dinner conversation might have been!
Palin big on luxury
It's not uncommon for former business and political leaders to make it big on the talk circuit, but Sarah Palin,  who didn't serve out her term as governor of Alaska, and, arguably, ensured that John McCain  never got within 1,000 miles of the White House, is taking things to the nth degree.
According to an AP report, Palin  is insisting on a suite plus two and three rooms at a luxury hotel when she gives a speech in June, and on travelling first class.
If it's not a commercial airline, 'the private aircraft MUST BE a Lear 60 or larger'. 
Quite right too! 
It's one thing to speak up for Middle America - it's quite another to rub shoulders with them in cattle class. 
Palin reportedly commands speaking fees of up to US$100,000. 
But we clearly remember that the hockey mum's much-anticipated Hong Kong appearance last September as the keynote speaker at a CLSA forum  left investors largely unimpressed.
Talk is not cheap
Lai See believes words and hearts should always be handled with great care, and we must be careful how we say things.
Ryanair, Europe's largest budget airline, confirmed this week that it is seeking possession of The Telegraph journalist Bryony Gordon's 'flat and contents' after she wagered them in an April 7 article,  betting no one could show that Ryanair passengers enjoyed their flights.
In her article  Gordon said: 'You never hear anybody casually mention that they have just flown with Ryanair and that they really enjoyed it. I am willing to bet my flat and its contents that nobody has ever said the words 'Ryanair', 'marvellous' and 'service' in the same sentence.' 
The airline  issued a statement refuting her claim, saying that it receives thousands of letters each year from satisfied customers and publishes a small selection of these satisfaction letters on its website.
Ryanair claims to have been rated the world's favourite airline,  which provides the best on-time, baggage and flight completion performance of any major European airline.
And because it has provided the journalist with sufficient proof, it is now seeking to confiscate her flat.
The soon-to-be-homeless reporter would do well to remember: Talk is silver, but silence is gold.



Lai See